5EUnearthed Arcana: Sorcerer and Warlock

There's a new Unearthed Arcana from WotC today, hot on the heels of the recent one for barbarian and monk. "Two classes, the sorcerer and the warlock, discover new playtest possibilities this week. The sorcerer receives a new Sorcerous Origin feature: the Aberrant Mind. Meanwhile, the warlock gains a new Otherworldly Patron feature: the Lurker in the Deep. We’ve also included a new cantrip: mind sliver."

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Adventurer

Just a minor point, but I think the text for Aberrant Sorcerer Revelation of the Flesh might need tidying up. The vision power says "you are aware of the location of hidden or invisible creatures within 60'".

Does this make you aware of the location of creatures you can't see because:

It's dark?

It's magically dark?

It's obscured (thick fog etc)?

You are blinded?

The wording "aware of the location" implies you still are at disadvantage in attacking them. Is this intended?

Can you use your telepathy to share locations with allies?

I would probably change this to "you gain blindsight to 60', but can see nothing beyond this distance".

Adventurer

On the abhorrant druid idea, how about, rather than wildshape in MM aberrations, you wildshape into beasts, but the beasts are wrong somehow. Their type becomes "aberration" and you can give them certain abilities as you gain levels.

Possibly a Idiot.

I've been saying since the start that the Sorcerer is a bit too thin in number of known spells, and I blamed the fact that WotC did not include the Sorcerer into the public playtest (the first iteration of the class, later withdrawn from the playtest, doesn't count). The first Sorcerer subclass they put out in UA was the Storm Sorcerer and granted bonus known spells. It was fine but later they removed the bonus known spells with the explanation that it would have damaged the attractiveness of the 2 core Sorcerer subclasses.

So if they decide to release a new Sorcerer subclass that does grant bonus known spells, doesn't it damage the attractiveness of ALL previous Sorcerer subclasses? I suppose not... I'd like some consistency in their design principles though.

Legend

Points out that the Sorcery point options is beefed up subtle spell metamagic.

God discussion about the exceptions based nature of the 5E ruleset, and how the Subclasses don't have to be purely symmetrical, focus of narrative centered nature of design, holistic nature of balance over the course of a full adventure.

Adventurer

FR and Eberron both have major Lovecraftian elements, with FR having a lot of different versions of it, from cults of Dagon, the society of the Kraken, Kraken cultists, Elder Evils, Beholder Cults, a flying city of Aboleths, Evil Stars, gateways to the Far Realms, the Warlock Knights of Vaasa, Ghaundar, Mind Flayer cities, Neogi on it's moon, and more.

Yeah, but these probably aren't for a FR product, unless we get XGtE2. In contrast, see this trailer for the last Zendikar set, and note that the new set that will be released around the same time as any Q3 D&D hardcover is about moving more towards classic swashbuckling adventure (i.e., D&D material, the original Zendikar card set even had cards noted as "Cleric," "Rogue," "Fighter" and so on in internal playtests):

Explorer

Adventurer

Yeah, but these probably aren't for a FR product, unless we get XGtE2. In contrast, see this trailer for the last Zendikar set, and note that the new set that will be released around the same time as any Q3 D&D hardcover is about moving more towards classic swashbuckling adventure (i.e., D&D material, the original Zendikar card set even had cards noted as "Cleric," "Rogue," "Fighter" and so on in internal playtests):

Cool video, but I think that if they do another MtG to D&D setting before getting more of the traditional D&D settings again, the Nerd rage will be epic. Plus they still don't seem to know how these setting fit within the greater D&D cosmology, I mean even Eberron now fits, while keeping it's uniqueness.

Plus Zendakar doesn't scream psionics to me.

I'm not saying it's impossible, just that I am skeptical.

I think this stuff is for a mostly setting neutral splat book, a PHB2, but it won't be called that, with maybe the Artificer, Psionics (both class and subclasses), and some other weird stuff. Maybe mass combat rules.

Villager

I'm pretty sure this is playtest material for a new player-focussed book like Xanathar's, not a campaign setting or so. Between this and the Barb/ Monk we got last time it seems to me they want to take that book into a more "weird" direction, isntead of the classical fantasy, which would be pretty cool imo. I'm wondering if we will see an actual Psionic class in there aswell, with subclasses like this that lean in on the mechanics, or wether they will backpedal and use this as a stand-in.

Legend

Cool video, but I think that if they do another MtG to D&D setting before getting more of the traditional D&D settings again, the Nerd rage will be epic. Plus they still don't seem to know how these setting fit within the greater D&D cosmology, I mean even Eberron now fits, while keeping it's uniqueness.

Plus Zendakar doesn't scream psionics to me.

I'm not saying it's impossible, just that I am skeptical.

I think this stuff is for a mostly setting neutral splat book, a PHB2, but it won't be called that, with maybe the Artificer, Psionics (both class and subclasses), and some other weird stuff. Maybe mass combat rules.

Ravnica has been massively successful, and Stewart said there would be more inter-brand cooperation in the future. I wasn't actually suspecting this a week ago, but these weird high magic and Eldritch horror options, and the Zendikar announcement, make me think that's why they haven't put out something like the Wayfinders Guide.

Legend

I'm pretty sure this is playtest material for a new player-focussed book like Xanathar's, not a campaign setting or so. Between this and the Barb/ Monk we got last time it seems to me they want to take that book into a more "weird" direction, isntead of the classical fantasy, which would be pretty cool imo. I'm wondering if we will see an actual Psionic class in there aswell, with subclasses like this that lean in on the mechanics, or wether they will backpedal and use this as a stand-in.

Villager

Of all places...Zendikar? Really? It's Psionics, a Barb where the text refers to the Feywild, and a monk that has mastered the Astral Plane. How does that say imply "Zendikar" to you?

But baseless speculation aside, there is also the simple fact that according to WotC's own schedule we are due for a player-book again soon, cuz those pop 1x year. We also know the next FR campaign book will be Avernus and the next setting book Eberon.

Xanathar's has also been WotC's most well-recieved book in 5e so far, so it's a pretty logical assumption that they will do something along the same lines for the next one. And with the more niche, but still classic fantasy (like the cavalier, drunken master, warmage, god-sorc, scout ect) subclasses tackled i can see them going for a bit more fantastical ideas that tie into established lore (like aboleths, astral plane, feywild ect)

Legend

Of all places...Zendikar? Really? It's Psionics, a Barb where the text refers to the Feywild, and a monk that has mastered the Astral Plane. How does that say imply "Zendikar" to you?

But baseless speculation aside, there is also the simple fact that according to WotC's own schedule we are due for a player-book again soon, cuz those pop 1x year. We also know the next FR campaign book will be Avernus and the next setting book Eberon.

Xanathar's has also been WotC's most well-recieved book in 5e so far, so it's a pretty logical assumption that they will do something along the same lines for the next one. And with the more niche, but still classic fantasy (like the cavalier, drunken master, warmage, god-sorc, scout ect) subclasses tackled i can see them going for a bit more fantastical ideas that tie into established lore (like aboleths, astral plane, feywild ect)

They've started a Xanathar's style book will come eventually, in 2-3 years from 2019 (though I admit, this could be misdirection, too). Don't think about the flavor text in thebUS, that's a distraction (they do that with UA since Crawford took the reins, see the "Greek Myth" tests for Ravnica). Think about how the characters describe would look illustrated: like Magic cards.

I have no idea what they are doing: but the stars are aligning for the possibility this is Zendikar related, given the timing of their recent product announcements on the Magic side.

Really, again, the only reasonable prediction right now is that WotC will have some surprises in store.

Villager

They've started a Xanathar's style book will come eventually, in 2-3 years from 2019. Don't think about the flavor text in thebUS, that's a distraction (they do that with UA since Crawford took the reins, see the "Greek Myth" tests for Ravnica). Think about how the characters describe would look illustrated: like Magic cards.

I have no idea what they are doing: but the stars are aligning for the possibility this is Zendikar related.

We're living in a golden age of D&D! Let's look backward to look forward: what new books, games, and accessoriescan we predict Wizards of the Coast ...

www.dndbeyond.com

I also think that any smart company would support a big game release like Baldur's Gate 3 and Decend into Avernus with supplemental content for those projects. Not to try to push a setting where the first book (Ravnica) already had lower then avarage sales, and with many others like Dark Sun and Spelljammer still waiting in the wings.

Legend

We're living in a golden age of D&D! Let's look backward to look forward: what new books, games, and accessoriescan we predict Wizards of the Coast ...

www.dndbeyond.com

I also think that any smart company would support a big game release like Baldur's Gate 3 and Decend into Avernus with supplemental content for those projects. Not to try to push a setting where the first book (Ravnica) already had lower then avarage sales, and with many others like Dark Sun and Spelljammer still waiting in the wings.

Ravnica has sold quite well, from what I've seen, and been quite well received. It's currently selling better on Amazon that the PF2 Bestiary, which is apparently selling very well on Amazon according to Paizo. Which means a lot of people are planning a possible game in Ravnica still at this time.

A tie in to Baldur's Gate may be a possibility, but just as equally continuing to work Magic and D&D together seems plausible. The big alarm bells that gives me this gut feeling is the timing of the Zendikar set at the same time as the big Q4 hardcover slot, along with these weird fantasy archetypes.